


A New Dawn

by Caiti (Caitriona_3)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019, Clint Barton Bingo 2019, Ladies of Marvel Bingo 2019, Multi, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, WinterHawk Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2019-08-31
Packaged: 2020-10-04 03:14:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20464094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/Caiti
Summary: Bucky plays hero . . . and picks up a new soulmate.  Not bad for a night's work.





	A New Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> This bingo ran away with me. 
> 
> Bingo squares filled:
> 
> Winterhawk – B5: College AU  
Bad Things – N4: Vertigo  
Bucky Barnes – B3: Soulmate  
Clint Barton – G1: Dark  
Saying – I3: A Bad Beginning Makes a Good Ending  
Ladies of Marvel – E4: AU: Soulmates

[ ](https://imgur.com/C60Iqtn)

_One night._ Bucky fought back the annoyance as he took another drink from the glass in front of him. He wished Clint had been free to come out with him, but his boyfriend had to work tonight and planned to go straight home afterwards. Which left Bucky on his own and in the crosshairs of men and women alike. _Is it too damn much to ask for one night where I can have a quiet drink without every drunk and horny person in the place bugging the shit out of me?_

He might enjoy the occasional game of flirting for a dance or two, but he’d already found one of his soulmates. They’d met two years ago at Clint’s freshman orientation. And while they’d taken things slow, they’d moved in together last spring. So until they found their third, Bucky had no intention of pursuing anything more than a drink or a dance. 

Now if he could just get the rest of the world on the same page.

A hand grabbed his arm and Bucky sighed, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. “Look, I’m not-,” he began as he turned to face the stranger in question. His words choked off as he looked into the face of one of the most gorgeous women he’d ever seen. Taken and waiting he might be, but blind he wasn’t – and she hit all the right notes with those curves. Blinking, he forced himself to focus on her eyes . . . her hazy, unfocused eyes. “Are you okay?”

“S-sorry,” she stammered, the words a little slow and slurred. “Dizzy . . . vertigo . . .” She swayed and her hold on him tightened. “Think . . . think . . . drugged?”

That got his attention and he felt the fury start to roll through him. Flat eyes scanned the bar, looking for anyone paying extra attention to the woman. He didn’t spot anything on first glance. “Someone drugged your drink, doll?”

“Not mine,” she corrected, her brow furrowed. “Jane . . .” The frown grew deeper and he could see the struggle in her gaze as she fought to put her thoughts together. “Jane’s.”

“Who’s Jane, sweetheart?”

“Best friend.” A loopy little smile curved her lips. “Crazy, but awesome.”

“Let’s go find her, okay?” If the drug hadn’t been meant for the woman beside him, then they needed to find her friend before she ended up in the same condition – without someone safe nearby. “How about you tell me your name? So I can call you something other than ‘doll’?”

“Darcy.” She wavered on her feet as she tried to turn, so he slid his arm around her shoulders. “Darcy Lewis.”

“Nice to meet you, Darcy,” he replied, supporting her as she led him towards a back corner. “I’m Bucky.” 

“Seen you before,” she announced as she walked in swaying steps. “Usually with this cute guy, but sometimes with girls. You’ve got safe hands.”

“Safe hands?” He couldn’t prevent the light chuckle at her phrasing.

“Yep!” The word popped, bright and cheerful over the music. “They don’t wander where they shouldn’t during a dance, so you know . . . safe hands! And you can dance. It’s nice to watch. Thought about asking a time or two, but you look really, really serious with the cute guy.”

“Doesn’t mean we couldn’t have a dance.”

“True.” She paused, giving him a serious nod. “But it feels kinda weird to dance with a committed guy.”

He could appreciate that – and it lifted his opinion of her even higher. That put her way over some of the people around here. “Maybe next time I’ll ask you,” he offered. “We can just dance and have a nice night without worry about any expectations.”

“Cool.” She wrinkled her nose as she stumbled. “Bring the cute guy. Just dancing, but we’ll make ‘em all jealous.”

Now he couldn’t stop the chuckle. “Clint would like that,” he agreed.

They reached the quieter – relatively speaking – side of the club and Bucky spotted a small altercation between two women. One of them, a tiny woman in a plaid shirt that did nothing to detract from a delicate prettiness, seemed to be trying to pull away from a hard-eyed blonde amazon type. Considering he didn’t see any other weird situations in this area, he went with his instincts and steered Darcy towards the duo.

“No, I need to find Darcy.” 

Obviously the tiny woman had to be Jane – and given her own swaying figure, he bet on her being intoxicated. Maybe not drugged, her eyes looked clearer than that, but definitely not in full possession of her faculties. One corner of his mouth almost quirked up into a grin; didn’t he just love the opportunity to play the big damn hero?

But that impulse faded when the blonde woman ran her hand up Jane’s arm in a slow, suggestive way and then ignored the way her prey yanked away. “Come on, Jane, let me take you home.”

“Maybe you should fucking back off?”

“Go to hell.” She waved his words away, her attention barely flickering from Jane until she caught sight of Darcy at his side. Her face twisted into a sneer as her eyes shifted up to meet his. “Mind your own business.”

“This is my business now,” he informed her. “Her friend asked for help and I damn well intend to give it.”

“Jane!” Darcy gestured her friend over. “Safe hands!”

“Darcy!” Jane tried to dart forward, only to almost lose her footing as she misjudged her distance from the booth. Bucky reached out to steady her, giving a small snort of amusement as she latched onto his arm in order to drag herself to friend’s side.

Whoever the woman might be, she had no intention of letting her target slip away. She reached out as if to snatch the smaller woman back only to stop as Bucky growled at her. “Look, you jackass-!”

“Somebody want to tell me what’s going on here?”

Smiling at the strong, no-nonsense voice, he looked around to find a stern-faced Maria Hill standing beside them, arms folded over her chest. Beautiful woman, but damn imposing when she wanted to be – which tended towards often. While her strict adherence to the rules meant they butted heads often, he respected her sense of honor. 

And he admired her ‘take no shit’ attitude.

“Hey, Hill.”

“Barnes.” Her eyes flickered over his two new companions and then settled on the hard-eyed girl opposite him. “You got a problem?”

Her nose tilted up as she shot an accusatory finger towards the trio. “I think he drugged them!”

“Like hell!” Darcy tried to step forward, only to sway back into Bucky’s hold. “He’s helping. **You** slipped something into Jane’s drink!”

“She’s stoned!” the blonde protested. “You can’t listen to her.”

“Oh, I believe she’s drugged,” Maria shrugged, her unsmiling gaze never wavering. “But you picked the wrong man to accuse.” Her lips thinned. “If you’d have picked any other person in the whole damn bar, I might have had a doubt or two, but Barnes? Accusing him isn’t the stupidest thing you’ve done tonight, but it’s in the top three.”

“What?”

“I’ll deal with her,” she promised with an eye roll. “Can you handle them?” Maria asked, cocking an eyebrow at the two women hanging off his arms.

“I’ll manage.” He did his best not to jostle them when he shrugged. “I’ll make sure they get safely home.”

“Nuh-uh!” Darcy shook her head, hair flying from the violence. “She lives there!”

Bucky exchanged a quick glance with Maria. “Guess I’m taking them to my place.”

Amusement curled her lips. “Make sure to tell Clint I said hi.”

Most of their classmates lived in apartments or dorm rooms, but Bucky and Clint preferred a house. Number one, neither of them liked living with people on top of them. And – more importantly – both of them had best friends who enjoyed dropping by without warning. So a house with three bedrooms proved to be a necessity. Darcy and Jane refused to be separated though, so he herded them into the room his best friend used during visits.

Thank God, Steve needed a king-size bed these days.

Pouring them both into the guest bedroom took a good deal of patience as Jane wanted to tell him about her theories on something to do with astronomy while Darcy seemed just as intent about finding her cat. One drunk and one drugged . . . he had to be earning some brownie points for this.

“Safe hands,” Darcy murmured as he drew the sheet over her. “Told you.”

“Yeah, doll, you told me. Now go to sleep.” As she murmured something that sounded like agreement, Bucky headed for the kitchen. Both of them would need water and some kind of painkiller when they woke up. He made sure they had both, putting the glasses and pills on the bedside table, before heading for his own bed and the man already asleep in it.

“Buck?”

“It’s me,” he murmured back as Clint flopped over and curled around him. 

“Everything okay?”

“It’s good.” He brushed a hand over the other man’s shoulder. “Go to sleep. I’ll fill you in tomorrow.”

“’Kay.”

Tonight turned out better than he expected – and he’d even gotten to play hero. Now he just had to explain the two women to Clint . . . but that would wait for morning.

“Coffee.”

Muttering, Bucky stumbled into the kitchen, his eyes blurry and unfocused. He came to an abrupt stop as a mug appeared under his nose. Not that he gave it the chance to disappear. No, even as he tried to blink his vision clear, one hand snatched the coffee. He gulped down the first life-saving taste as he managed to focus on his boyfriend’s smirking face.

“I’d kiss you,” Clint informed him, “but I wanna make sure you’re awake first.” 

“When’s that ever stopped you?”

“Point.”

Clint leaned forward into a lightning fast peck, there and gone before Bucky's coffee-deprived mind even had a chance to realize it. "Ew, morning breath," he teased in a murmur, before his hands came up to capture Bucky's cheeks and pull him close once more. "You're lucky you're cute." 

At which point, Clint's lips connected with his and _kissed_ him. Eyes closing, Bucky let himself sink into it like a body in a hot spring. He took a moment to thank fate for the man kissing him as electricity zipped through his body, starting from where they were connected at the mouth, the sweet interlude even more effective than the coffee in waking him up all the way. All the zest for life the younger man carried around flooded through Bucky and burst out from every pore. Intoxicating . . . exhilarating . . . **Clint**. He looped his free hand around Clint's waist to tug him closer.

After a long, wonderful moment, Clint pulled back with a warm smile. "Good morning, Handsome."

"God, you're gorgeous."

That playful smile came back at full force as the blond joked, "Flattery will get you everywhere . . . which could feasibly be part of your master plan." Twisting to look back towards the guest room, he chuckled before continuing his thought. “Especially considering our guests. So . . . how the hell did we end up with two chicks in our house?”

“Some bitch decided she wanted Jane and wasn’t going to let ‘no’ be an option.” He leaned back against the counter and sipped his coffee. “She lives at the same place they do, so I brought the girls here instead of taking them home.”

“Cute.” Clint made a face as he poured himself a second cup. “Now hopefully they remember you when they wake up.”

“Yeah…”

“Bigger question,” he continued. Calloused fingers curled around the mug as Clint moved to stand beside him. “Which one of them is our key girl?” When Bucky choked on his coffee, he laughed. “Did you miss the new color?”

“Good God,” he groaned as understanding shot through him. “Didn’t notice a damn thing.”

“I spotted yours, all bright and red and clear as crystal,” Clint admitted with no shame whatsoever. “So I headed for the mirror – and mine is still dark.” He shrugged. “But I haven’t met either of them yet.”

The sound of someone stumbling and crashing into furniture interrupted any further conversation. Neither of them moved for a minute, giving the woman in question a minute to gather herself . . . and possibly get over a minor freak out on waking in a strange house.

“I swear I’m gonna tase that witch in the ass next time I see her!”

Clint’s lips twitched into a smile at the loud announcement. “Damn I hope that’s her."

“Guess she remembers,” Bucky chuckled even as he rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. He poured another cup of coffee and carried it out into the other room. “Morning, doll. Coffee?”

She made grabby hands at him. “Oh, handsome, if you weren’t already my hero, I’d declare you one now for this alone.” Accepting the cup, she downed a quick gulp. “And if you’ve got a toothbrush going spare? I’d be ready to put you up for sainthood.”

“Think Mother Church would have issues with that.” He grinned and felt a sizzle of satisfaction as she blinked at him, a hint of color flooding her cheeks. “Lucky for you, I’ve got one.”

“Oh, thank God.” Then her hands curled around the coffee. “I’m keeping this.”

“Your cup, doll.” Taking her elbow, he led her towards the bathroom and gestured towards the sink. “Dug out a couple for you and your friend.”

“Toothbrushes?” Darcy’s eyebrows rose. “You just happened to have them sitting around?”

“He’s the type that likes to be prepared.” They both turned at the teasing voice to find Clint standing in the doorway of his bedroom, leaning on the jamb. “I’m not that good,” he admitted as he held out a bundle of cloth. “But I figured you might want a shower.”

Darcy took the clothing, blinking down at it and the coffee. Her eyes swung back up to stare at the two men. “Are you two for real? Helping me save Jane, giving us a place to crash, toothbrushes, showers, coffee . . . Seriously, are you for real? Can I keep you both?” The blush on her cheeks deepened as she made a face, scrunching up her nose and closing her eyes. “And can I blame that on the low-level hangover?”

“Sure,” Clint agreed – way too easily. Then his grin flashed as she started to relax. “But I figure that makes it even more honest.”

“Get your shower, Darcy.” Bucky curled a hand around Clint’s neck and began steering him towards the kitchen. “Come find us when you’re ready.” After a moment, he heard the door click shut behind him. “Are you going to behave?”

“Hell, no.”

Knowing triumph glittered in those blue eyes and Bucky raised an eyebrow. “Something to say?”

“Not yet.”

He didn’t plan to let his boyfriend get away with that for long, but at the moment he figured breakfast should probably take priority. Not only could he use the fuel, but they had a pair of women who would need something on their stomachs to help counteract the previous night’s problems. Bucky had more than enough practice to know what to make for them – some simple omelets and fruit. Clint followed him, chuckling under his breath. Practiced in their routines, the two men worked in comfortable silence as they prepared to make breakfast. 

The sound of running feet interrupted their work.

“Where’s Darcy?”

A tiny whirlwind flew into the kitchen and resolved itself into a petite and pretty woman with a good strong glare – especially considering the fact she had to crane her head up to look at either of them. Suspicion and concern flared in her golden brown eyes. “Where is she?” 

“In the shower,” Bucky replied. “She woke up twenty minutes ago or so.”

“Oh.” She deflated a bit. Then she rubbed her eyes. “I . . . kind of remember you?’ she offered. “You’re the one who got rid of that pushy woman.” Her smile turned wry. “But that’s all I remember. Ah . . . I’m Jane? Did we actually meet?”

“Kind of,” he chuckled as he held out a hand. “Bucky Barnes. And this is Clint.”

“Barton,” his boyfriend nodded. “Nice to meet you.”

“You weren’t there last night.” Jane tugged on her hair. “I know I didn’t see you.”

“No, I was working.”

“So how did Darcy and I end up here?” she asked. “I mean, obviously we needed to call it a night and my headache is telling me to lighten up on the tequila next time, but why aren’t we at home?” She glanced around. “Nice place and all, really. Better than ours. Not that that’s hard – I’m pretty sure a basement apartment would beat the hell out of the dorms if only because there have to be fewer rules. They won’t even let me take off the screens so I can use my telescope. Stupid regulations.” 

“Jane, go take a shower.”

All eyes turned towards the door as Darcy came in, rubbing a towel over her dark curls. Never would Bucky admit to the amount of struggle it took to keep his eyes on her face, but he figured he deserved a little credit. The woman had a gorgeous figure that Clint’s t-shirt and shorts did nothing to hide. 

The fact that he caught his boyfriend giving her a once over from the corner of one eye made him feel better.

“Darcy,” Jane began.

“Shower.” Pushing her towel at the slighter woman, Darcy pointed down the hall. “Shower, brush your teeth, and finish the coffee on the countertop. Then you can come back and talk actual English at us.” When it looked like Jane might protest, she made a small growling noise. 

“I’m going, I’m going!” Jane huffed, stalking out of the room. “Bossy!”

“You need a keeper!” She turned back to the men with a bright grin. “Sorry about that. I’d hoped to be done before she could wake up, but the shower felt fantastic.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Bucky grinned as he handed her his coffee. “She was fine.” He tilted his head in consideration. “Last night was weirder.” He stole Clint’s cup. “Is she really that into astronomy?”

“Astrophysics,” she corrected with a soft snort. “She’s a specialist.”

Clint’s eyebrows went up as he took his coffee back. “Stubborn about it?”

“You have no idea.”

Scowling at his boyfriend, Bucky moved to pour himself another cup of coffee. “We’re setting up for omelets," he told Darcy. “It’ll help, trust me.”

“Yeah, food would be nice, but first?”

The uncertainty in her voice drew Bucky’s attention away from the food. “Problem?”

“Got a bit of a personal question to ask and I don’t want to accidentally step on toes.”

Clint pulled himself up to perch on the countertop, ignoring the dirty look from Bucky. “Thanks for the warning, but how about you just ask?” he suggested. “We’ll let you know if you’re treading on thin ice.”

“As long nobody’s going to jump down my throat.” She paced around the small kitchen, her fingers trailing along things as her eyes seemed to move from place to place, somehow skipping over them in every scan.

“Okay, doll.” Bucky stepped in front of her just as she came even with Clint. “You’re making me dizzy.”

“Sorry, I just…” Her voice trailed off and she shrugged. Reaching for the neck of the t-shirt, she pulled it to one side, dragging her bra strap with it to show her collarbone. Or more accurately, he realized, the blood-red design etched there. “This belong to one of you?” Both men stared at the arrow drawn along the bone. “I’m really hoping the answer is yes, because otherwise it’s some unknown body back at that bar.”

“It’s . . . ah, it’s mine?” Clint half-raised his hand, eyes sliding sideways to lock with Bucky’s.

“You don’t sound sure there, Hotshot.”

The men eyed each other for a long moment before Bucky’s lips quirked to one side in definite amusement. Pulling his own shirt to the side, he showed off his own arrow – etched on his skin in the same place, and the same blood-red color. “He’s sure.”

“Oh.” Darcy’s eyes flared wide as they darted between the two of them. “Oh!” Her hands went up in a gesture of peace. “Hey, I don’t wanna intrude or anything. I just wanted to check-.”

“Have you got a second mark?” Clint turned a dark, intense gaze on her as he interrupted.

“Ah, well, yeah?” She gestured towards her back. “But it’s between my shoulder blades.”

“Mind if we take a look?” Even as he asked, Bucky took her arms in a gentle hold to turn her around. She didn’t fight him – she just pulled her hair out of the way. He hooked two fingers into the collar and felt the satisfaction flare as he saw the bright mark waiting there.

“That’s Bucky’s star.”

“What?” She pulled free and spun around to face them, surprise gleaming in her face. “Is it-?”

Smug pride curled his lips. “Blood-red.”

“Yep.” Clint nodded, his own mischievous smirk beginning to play around his mouth. “I’ve got its match on my back.” When she couldn’t seem to find her words, he laughed and hopped off the counter. “So, princess, I gotta ask a question of my own.” He pulled up his shirt, showing off the muscles of his abs – and Bucky would be lying if he claimed not to be a little distracted by the show. But then again, the blush deepening on their girl’s cheeks made tearing his eyes away worth it. Clint slid his waistband down just enough to show another mark on the curve of his hip.

A newly blood-red key.

Darcy’s hand flew down to her own hip before she turned wide dark eyes on him. Bucky felt his smile deepening as he shifted clothing to show off his own new mark. “Yeah, doll, I’ve got it too.”

“Holy shit.”

“Is that good?” Clint laughed.

“Just for the record? I was joking when I asked if I could keep you.” She held up a finger, pointing at both of them. “I mean . . . happy and thrilled, so you know, yay! But I do want it known that I was joking.” Then she grinned. “But damn . . . fate must really like me.”

“We’re going to take it slow.” Bucky reached out to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear. “Neither of us are big on letting fate decide things for us.”

“Yeah, sometimes fate’s nice and all,” Clint nodded, “but sometimes it’s a . . .” He paused.

Darcy took the pressure off him. “A bitch.”

“Wasn’t going to go there, but sure.”

“I’ve got no issues calling a woman on her shit,” she laughed. “And won’t get all ‘band of sisterhood’ with you if you do.” Her eyebrows went up. “Besides, I’m pretty sure fate’s usually female.” When he grinned, she shrugged. “I’ll add that I don’t have a lot of make or break points, but Jane’s one of the few. She’s my girl – in the best friend on this planet sense, and about the only person I know . . .” Now she paused to give them both a cheery smile before continuing. “_Thus far_ that I will go through the gates of hell for.”

“So I guess that means we’ll be getting to know the crazy science lady.”

“I’m not crazy!”

All eyes turned to see Jane trying to glare at them and losing the attempt as laughter filled her eyes. “I’m just passionate about my studies.”

“Stars,” Bucky nodded.

“Astronomy,” Clint chimed in. 

When Jane gave her a narrow-eyed stare, Darcy threw up her hands. “Hey! I told them!”

“Plebeians,” the woman huffed. “Plebeians all of you!”

Bucky felt something in his heart trip as Darcy turned a happy grin on him and Clint. “And soulmates.”

**Author's Note:**

> My idea for this soulmate AU - 
> 
> Everyone is born with at least two marks - the symbol for themselves and the symbol(s) for their soulmate(s). Their own mark is a deep red, like the heart of a garnet, while the mark(s) belonging to their soulmate(s) remain black until they meet. After they meet, the soulmate mark turns a crimson blood-red. Usually a person feels them changing color, like a small sting or burn, but if they're focused on something else (or drunk, distracted, etc.), they can miss it.


End file.
